Best and Worst Strategy Games of 2000

[Intro] [Overall] 
[Turn-based] [Wargame] [Real Time Strategy] [Expansion] [Multiplayer]
[Storyline] [Audio] [Surprising] [Disappointing] [Innovative] [Graphics]

Best Expansion Pack of 2000: 
Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors
DEVELOPER : Ensemble Studios
PUBLISHER : Microsoft

All eyes were on Ensemble Studios when Age of Empires II was released. The first one was sort of a sleeper. It had very nice sales, but garnered mixed reviews. So when screenshots and info on its follow-up were announced, expectations were high from fans and game reviewers alike. While the sequel was more of a standard real-time strategy game than I had originally thought it was going to be, its vast array of civilizations with unique units and attributes, beautiful graphics with the biggest and most realistic structures in a RTS, and killer game balancing and AI made for one of the best gaming experiences in a long time. And it was historical too--probably its biggest appeal. The Conquerors expansion not only added new European and Asian civilizations (Koreans, Huns, Spanish), but also brought players an ocean away to South America. The Mayans and Aztecs, two of the new races, introduced a whole new style of play. Superior technology has to be replaced with numbers and stealth, best represented by the awesome Jaguar Warrior. New units such as the Turtle Boat for the Koreans and the Spanish Conquistadors added even more variety. With the exception of the latter example, which many say was too strong, fans did not have to worry that the delicate balance would be thrown off. Also, four new campaigns extended the already tremendous replay value, and players now had even more choices when creating random maps.

  
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But The Conquerors is a must buy not only because of the new campaigns and civilizations, but also because it truly transforms Age of Empires II into a new game. The key is the addition of smarter settlers, who will now immediately go to work after building a structure, and the ability to queue the building of farms. Some people criticized the design team for not releasing these features in a patch, but once I played with them and realized how much more streamlined the game became, I realized that I would have paid the full price of the expansion just to have them. OK, maybe that is an exaggeration, but nevertheless their inclusion is much appreciated. After all, Age of Empires II was virtually a bug-free game by industry standards. I could also go into detail on the new aesthetics added to the game in the form of a unique interface for each civilization and new map types, but I think you get the point. No other expansion this year offered more new features and greater quality. This series is unstoppable.